Wireless experts discuss future of Body Area Networks
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| Simulation of a transmitter implanted in the right forearm. User has interactively drawn a line segment in the 3D virtual scene. Graph shows signal strength along that line is displayed. Image source: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) |
Experts in the field expect the use of wireless medical technology to continue growing in coming years, as noted by presenters at the First Invitational Workshop on Body Area Network Technology and Applications, held at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute on June 20.
Keynote Speaker William J. Heetderks, director of extramural science programs at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, noted the vast possibilities for wireless healthcare devices, including such uses as Uropathogen detection using DNA biosensors, as well as gas chromatography. BANs could help monitor diet and organ function, he said, help manage hypertension, improve the loss of hearing, as well as assist with monitoring movement disorders such as Parkinson’s.
The applications of wireless medical devices are encouraging, but there are complicating factors, including the use of wireless bandwidth, according to one presenter; and regulatory scrutiny, according to another.
Kathy Chester, senior vice president regulatory and oversight of St. Jude Medical, based in St. Paul, Minn., said there is both good and bad news with regard to the regulation of BANs and wireless healthcare technology. Positively, the FDA has listed wireless healthcare as a “mission critical” area in its strategic plan. Additionally, the FDA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are showing signs of working together on the field and patents for wireless healthcare technology are increasing.
Chester noted a recent statistic that almost 90 percent of new patents for heart monitors and more than 70 percent of glucose monitoring patents have wireless components. “It’s definitely, emerging, growing and blossoming,” she said.
The downside, she predicted, is that the FDA will require a high level of evidence because “they believe wireless is inherently less reliable than wired communication.” In addition, the agency is concerned about how medical wireless technology will interact with household wireless technologies, as well as those in public spaces and in hospitals.
Hakan Ohlgren, principal development engineer of St. Jude Medical in Sweden, said BANs can potentially help with remote care, lessen hospital visits and provide high-quality automatic indications and early warnings of negative trends. For example, BANs could someday warn a provider of an oncoming heart attack.
Ohlgren demonstrated St. Jude’s Merlin.net, a database storing patient information, where providers and patients can access vital health data. If a patient feels strange, he could utilize a BAN, push a button and have readings loaded to Merlin.net. A difficulty of the wireless implantable devices, Ohlgren noted, is that the more frequently readings are taken, the faster a battery will drain.
Critical to the safe use of wireless medical devices is ensuring they won’t be interrupted by other devices using airspace.
The FCC is considering allocating a specified space of bandwidth for medical BANs, noted Raymond Krazinski, senior manager of standardization at Philips Healthcare, based in North Andover, Mass. A devoted bandwidth for medical devices seems likely, Krazinski said, and the FCC and stakeholders are currently discussing dividing the potential wireless medical bandwidth for various applications.
A specified length of band could be used indoors in healthcare facilities, and another band could be used for medical devices anywhere. FCC information regarding the use of bandwidth for medical devices can be found here.
For more information about WPI’s First Invitational Workshop on Body Area Network Technology and Applications, click here.